Broncos Announce Plans to Build Retractable-Roof Stadium, Eye 2031 NFL Season

The Denver Broncos want a new retractable-roof stadium, and they are eyeing the 2031 NFL season as a target date.

Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner released a joint letter with Denver mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado governor Jared Polis on Tuesday and explained Burnham Yard in the city's "heart" is "the preferred site for a world-class retractable roof stadium anchoring a dynamic mixed-use district."

The letter explained that the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group will privately fund the venture instead of raising taxes and collecting public money.

"Our goal for this ambitious project is to build a community that connects fans, neighbors and future generations across Colorado," the letter read. "In addition to creating a modern new home for the Broncos, this vibrant hub will attract premiere events driving impact for Denver and the entire Rocky Mountain Region."

Having a retractable roof in the Denver area is surely seen as a necessary step toward hosting year-round events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four. 

The Broncos group first toured the Burnham Yard site in 2023, and Greg Penner said, "we fell in love with it almost right away," per Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. 

"It's so unique—the fact that it's so close to Mile High, the proximity to downtown, access to I-25 and rail, and then we just loved the historic nature of the site given the importance of the railyard and the rail in Colorado's history." 

The Broncos currently play at Empower Field at Mile High and have done so since 2001. The naming was a nod to its predecessor, the original Mile High Stadium, which hosted the Broncos from 1960 to 2000.

It is essentially located at the exact spot of the old stadium and famously stands at an elevation of 5,280 feet above sea level. 

Denver has made the playoffs nine times since moving to Empower Field at Mile High, including five straight times from the 2011 season through the 2015 one. The Broncos won the Super Bowl during that 2015 campaign with Peyton Manning as their quarterback.

The future is once again bright for the organization after making the playoffs last season with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center. Denver is off to a 1-0 start in Nix's second season following Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans and figures to be a playoff contender in the AFC.

Perhaps Nix will continue to play well as his career continues and remain the face of the franchise when it moves to a new stadium in 2031.